Nirala Publications is named after the great Indian poet, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala and is a significant South Asian publishing house featuring the best known and little known authors from India, Nepal and rest of the world.
We publish amazing books of poetry, fiction and children’s books from around the world along with, scholarly books on Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Himalayan culture, shamanism and South Asia.
For more than two decades its focus has been towards Nepal, Buddhism and Himalayan studies expressed in the extensive and ever growing Nirala Nepal Series.
Today Nirala Publications is the largest publishing house in the world for publications on Nepal and Himalayan culture.
It also aims to bring to the Asian readers the best known literature from all over world, especially poetry. We have published world renowned authors including Rabindranath Tagore, Jayanta Mahapatra, David Ray, Yuyutsu Sharma, David Austell, Evald Flisar, Larry Peters, Laxmi P Devkota, Rishikesh Shaha, Taranath Sharma, David Axelrod, Jidi Majia and others.
Nirala collaborates with several foreign publishers and institutes and in future hopes to continue to present to its readers literature and original research from all over the world.
In addition, it supports Pratik, A Magazine of Contemporary Writing and has been instrumental in the publication of the magazine’s several special issues.
For more than two decades its focus has been towards Nepal, Buddhism and Himalayan studies expressed in the extensive and ever growing Nirala Nepal Series.
Today Nirala Publications is the largest publishing house in the world for publications on Nepal and Himalayan culture.
It also aims to bring to the Asian readers the best known literature from all over world, especially poetry.
Nirala collaborates with several foreign publishers and institutes and in future hopes to continue to present to it’s readers literature and original research from all over the world.
In addition, it supports Pratik, A Magazine of Contemporary Writing and has been instrumental in the publication of the magazine’s several special issues.
Asia Pacific Writers and Translators (APWT) and Pratik: A Magazine of Contemporary Writing invite submissions for Fire and Rain – a special edition of the magazine focused on Australian poetry. The theme acts as a kicking off point and is open to interpretation – we seek previously unpublished poetry that evokes a sense of Australia – either geographically, spiritually, politically, linguistically,culturally,or otherwise. This edition celebrates the diversity of Australian poetic perspectives and voices – we welcome submissions from both established and emerging poets, indigenous writers and LGBTIQ+ community. We are open to experimental forms and multiple submissions are permitted. Previous well received special editions of Pratik magazine have focused on writing from Ireland, Los Angeles and Nepal amongst others and we foresee Fire and Rain will contribute to this ongoing international conversation with vibrant new work from Australian poets. Pratik published quarterly is edited by the world-renowned Himalayan poet, Yuyutsu Sharma in Kathmandu and has become a significant international platform of creative writing. You can access previous editions of Pratik here http://pratikmagazine.blogspot.comand it is also available for purchase via Amazon. Readers for this edition will be editor of PratikYuyutsuSharma, Executive Director of APWT and author Dr Sally Breen and celebrated Australian poet Jennifer Mackenzie. One entry selected by the readers will be awarded the $500 AUD cash prize. Submission is open to financial members of APWT – not a member? Join here: https://www.apwriters.org/become-a-member/
Submissions are open to emerging and established Australian poets who are financial members of Asia Pacific Writers and Translators. New members are welcome to submit – you can join APWT via the following link: https://www.apwriters.org/become-a-member/
Unpublished poems only.
We accept simultaneous submissions but please notify us if your work is picked up elsewhere.
No more than five poems may be submitted. There is no line-limit. Poems may be any length, any style, but must feature reference to some aspect of Australia as identified in the blurb.
Multiple submissions are allowed, but each new submission requires a new fee.
Please include a brief cover note with your professional bio and a brief introduction via the submittable page where indicated.
Submission fee of $5 USD.
Deadline is midnight April 1st, 2022.
The decision of the readers is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding work submitted. If you have a general query about the callthen please feel free to contact admin@apwriters.com
Social Media Call for Subs Version
Fire and Rain – Call for Submissions
Fire and Rain – Pratik: A Magazine of Contemporary Writing Australian Poetry Edition co-curated and supported by APWT + $500 AUD cash prize for winning entry
Asia Pacific Writers and Translators (APWT) and Pratik: A Magazine of Contemporary Writing invite submissions for Fire and Rain – a special edition of the magazine focused on Australian poetry. The theme acts as a kicking off point and is open to interpretation – we seek previously unpublished poetry that evokes a sense of Australia – either geographically, spiritually, politically, linguistically, culturally, or otherwise. This edition celebrates the diversity of Australian poetic perspectives and voices – we welcome submissions from both established and emerging poets, indigenous writers and LGBTIQ+ community. We are open to experimental forms and multiple submissions are permitted. Pratik published quarterly is edited by the world-renowned Himalayan poet, Yuyutsu Sharma in Kathmandu and has become a significant international platform of creative writing. You can read more about the call and enter via our Submittable Pagehttps://drunkenboat.submittable.com/submitSubmission is open to financial members of APWT – not a member? Join here: https://www.apwriters.org/become-a-member/Submissions close on April 1st 2022.
Folk Culture of Nepal is a significant treatise for anthropologists and scholars interested in Nepal’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. It’s is an engrossing analysis of the creative life of the Nepalese masses. Considering the analysis of oral traditions as the beginning point of any study of Nepalese culture, Rakesh presents a varied and vivid account of the Nepalese myths legends, fairy tales, traditional games, riddles, proverbs and folk arts and crafts. The book lays specific emphasis on the mechanism of the Gurungs’ Rodigarh, the diversity of Maithili culture and the fundamental network of the Tharu’s cultural charisma. It includes introductory information on legendary city Janakpur, cultural events and features like Jhumar, Bhagat Nach, Jat-Jatin, Maithil Folk Art and Alpana in Maithili Culture.
Folk Culture of Nepal, the first attempt of its kind, is a native, first-hand inquiry into the poetry of average Nepalese mind.
Folk Culture of Nepal the author, Dr Ram Dayal Rakesh, explores the cultures of both the Hill areas and the Plains of Nepal with his keen and penetrating insight. Though Dr Rakesh has literature as his principal educational background, he has also been engaged in the study of popular and folk culture. As a result of this, we find a combination of literary talent and cultural concern in his writings. —Hiroshi Ishii in Foreword
Born at Janakpur in 1942, Ram Dayal Rakesh was educated mainly at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu from where in 1965 he received his Master’s degree and later in 1975 the University of Delhi awarded him a PhD for his pioneering research on the comparative study of contemporary Hindi and Nepali poetry. Since then Rakesh has written extensively on Nepalese art and culture. A widely travelled writer, and a former member of the Royal Nepalese Academy, he has published his original works as well as the translations of Hindi and Japanese poetry in distinguished magazines at home and abroad. Rakesh lives in Kathmandu
Distinguished Nepalese Geographer, Buddhi Narayan Shrestha’s International Boundaries of Nepal is a highly informative and updated account of the Nepal’s crucial boundary issues with its mighty neighbours, India and China. The book contains an account of Shrestha’s theoretical as well as practical experiences with international boundary principles along with a case study on the flaming issues that has sparked widespread debate and controversy in South Asia. The case study discusses issues like negotiation on the Chinese claim to Mount Everest, the conflict on border marker 57 between Nepal and China, the divergence on the height of Mount Everest, the dishonouring Masonry Boundary Pillar by India, Kalapani-Limpiyadhura border issue with India, the settling of Susta border dispute with India, the legitimacy of Lipulek border Pass and the Battle of Maps on the Border. Having worked as a Director General of the Survey Department of Nepal and officially served several significant Nepalese Boundary Committees with the Nepal’s neighbouring nations, Shrestha examines the historic dates and rare reports and alludes to crucial events in history that shaped the fate of Nepal and its boundaries with its neighbours along with other south Asian nations like Bangladesh and Pakistan. In the process, Shrestha evaluates several historic treaties and policy initiatives including Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States and Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) of China and India’s ‘Neighbour First’ policy and attempts to come up with a clear vision and understanding of Nepal’s place as a sovereign land-locked nation.
Highly illustrated with archival images and maps, the book is a must-read for all interested in fast changing face of the Himalayan nation.
Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, who has been responsible for putting out justification for the new claims against India, is unable to deny it either. But he now says that the trijunction at this end has not been determined and that notionally it would be pillar number zero on the boundary!
—Shyam Saran in Indian Express, Former India’s Ambassador to Nepal (2002-04), Former Indian foreign secretary and senior fellow CPR.
Buddhi Narayan Shreshta, from his long years of field experience and research, has provided us with this valuable International Boundaries of Nepal the history and politics of borders by Nepal with its neighbors, an interesting read.
— Ambassador (Dr) Amarendra Khatua, , Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India
Buddhi Narayan Shrestha. Reflecting upon his own boundary philosophy and numerous travels across various borders of the world, he has certainly presented an enriching insights on border issues and management.
—Dr. Jussi P. Laine, President, Association for Borderlands Studies (ABS), Associate Professor, University of Eastern Finland
Buddhi Narayan Shrestha has continued to be involved in our work in health care and education, even though those areas are far afield from his passion and expertise: mapping and border issues. Even with the many books he’s written, speeches he’s presented, interviews he’s granted, and trips he’s taken around the globe as the world’s leading expert on Nepal’s boundary issues,
—Jack Starmer, Director, Health Care Nepal, New Hampshire, (USA)
One Buddhi Narayan has made significant contributions to keeping the country’s territorial integrity intact by speaking, writing, compiling and publishing maps in favor of Nepal.
—Bhairab Risal, Activist-Senior Journalist in Nagarik Daily
Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, a border expert who has been advocating for Nepal in this map conflict for a long time, deserves the most thanks. After his retirement from the government job, the country has benefited from his map struggle.
—Krishna Khanal, Contemporary Political Writer, Columnistin Kantipur Daily
Mr. Buddhi Narayan Shrestha has visited several countries to acquaint them with problems faced by Nepal in National Boundary Demarcation and Border Management between Nepal and India.
—Prof. Dr. Mohan P. Lohani, Former Ambassador to Bangladesh
Buddhi’s unique knowledge, passion for his subject and inimitable style combine to make for a highly entertaining, informative and rewarding survey. Even casual readers will find much to enjoy, but for boundary specialists it is a treasure trove that will surely become the key reference work on Nepal’s boundaries.
—Martin Pratt, Professor and Director, Bordermap Consulting, Former Director,International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU),University of Durham, UK
Buddhi Narayan Shrestha
Distinguished Nepalese geographer and Border Researcher, Buddhi Narayan Shrestha has authored over a dozen books including Border Management of Nepal, Indo-Nepal Frontier Barrages & Dams. Knowledge on Boundaries, Knowledge on Earthquakes and Collection of Historical Boundary Maps Related to Nepal.
Currently, he is Managing Director at Bhumichitra Mapping Company and previously served as Director General, Government Survey Department of Nepal. He has led several international delegations including Nepal-India Joint Technical Level Boundary Committee and Nepal-China Boundary Committee.
He is recipient of several awards and honors including Madan Prize, Nepal, Dolezol Award (Viena- Austria). National Award for Excellence, Nepal Government. Certificate of Appreciation from International Federation of Surveyors, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Indian Portraits : Eight Christian Encounters with Hinduismby Yann Vagneux
ISBN 978-81-951915-8-1 2021 Rs. 795 Indian Paperback
Foreword by Bettina Sharada Bäumer Translated from the French by Roderick Campbell Guion, Caroline Malcolm & William Skudlarek
Yann Vagneux’s Indian Portraits is a seminal book depicting the lives of eight Christians who have experienced a deep encounter with Hinduism through a bold spiritual quest. Each of them has become the seed of a reconciled world. This may be through a luminous service of the poor as with Mother Teresa, the Jesuit Pierre Ceyrac, Jean Vanier and the L’Arche communities, or through the silence of a hidden contemplative life as with Swami Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux) and his two disciples Ajatananda and Sister Thérèse, Vandana Mataji or the hermit Prasanna Devi. Known or unknown, these deep voices are an inexhaustible source of inspiration leading us to discover our own spiritual path in a world signed by plurality and a desire for a greater communion.
Spun out of Yann Vagneux’s deeply lived experiences earned during his travels on the paths of his devotional sojournin the holy city of Banaras and mystic heights of Himalayas, the book is a must read for all those interested in understanding the unique mosaic of faiths that forms the very basis of spirituality in India.
These eight Indian portraits are the fruits of Father Yann’s own contemplation and lived experience as one who travels alongside such human saints and shares their vocation of a Christian life in India. There is indeed a ninth portrait in this book, revealed in the brushstrokes of its author, which is equally inspiring. – Carrie Lock, Foundress of Aranya Kutir, an interspiritual and contemplative ashram in Rishikesh
Higher spiritual experiences are neither Hindu nor Buddhist nor Christian. Even though the experiences themselves may have originated among the followers of one of these religions, these experiences take spiritual aspirants beyond the boundary of the traditions to which they belong. The very purpose of sadhana (spiritual practice) is to attain the highest freedom. Indian Portraits is worth reading for both the enquirers and the followers of all traditions. Despite legitimate differences of opinions which may exist, they can gain a great deal from this book as it gives us a unique vantage point on the experiences of eight mystics who went beyond the frontiers of their own religion as they lived contemplative and service-oriented lives in the Holy Land of Bharatavarsha (India). – Swami Ekarthananda, President and Spiritual Head, Ramakrishna Ashrama, Nepal
Indian Portraits draws us into the edifying stories of eight spiritual personalities, Western or Indian by origin, who strove to live up to the ideals shown them in the Gospels and by pioneering monastics such as Jules Monchanin and Henri Le Saux. Persons as familiar to us as Mother Teresa and lesser known pilgrims come to life in these pages. Together, they are members of a wide and deep spiritual community that reached from the West to the East, thriving in Indian soil. The volume as a whole is the meditation of Yann Vagneux, himself a young Christian monastic in India who seeks to live in the 21st century the ideals he narrates to us. Indian Portraits helps us to remember saintly figures of the past, but also to re-imagine for ourselves how we might be wiser and more spiritual in the diverse and changing world of today. – Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School
It is amazing how Indian society, which is predominantly Hindu, has always been open to wisdoms flowing in from the entire universe. With communicative words, Yann Vagneux has painted several portraits of Christians who have totally identified with the deepest spirit of India through friendly encounters across religious boundaries. In them, Hinduism and Christianity have been interacting and conversing in honesty with a desire for mutual understanding and enrichment, overcoming mutual suspicions which have not been lacking throughout history. This book shows what human beings have in common and what can promote fellowship among them. Here are rays of hope for a society of peace and harmony, not only in India but far beyond. – Felix Machado, Archbishop of Vasai and General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India
In a world riddled with seismic religious fractures, Yann Vagneux’s work is a reflection of virtues he embodies as a person. As we are confronted with suffering and pain, Yann’s Indian Portraits offers us a way to heal. It comes from his compassion, love, and a deep understanding of India and what it has to offer to the world. Highly recommended. – Rahul Pandita, Journalist and Author of Our Moon has Blood Clots
Himself touched by the same spirit of openness to the religious other, Yann Vagneux offers a moving account of the lives of Christian women and men who have ventured into the heart of India and Hinduism and who have drawn timeless wisdom from the experience. This book will be a source of inspiration for anyone seeking to broaden their spiritual horizon and learn from spiritual pioneers who have gone before us. – Catherine Cornille, Professor of Comparative Theology and Newton College Alumnae Chair, Boston College
When we struggle to understand a person intimately, we enter a journey within ourselves. When we are in the company of eight persons then we are blessed far more than we expected. Yann is promising us a foretaste of the eschatological banquet. –Subhash Anand, Emeritus Professor of Indian Philosophy and Religions, Jnana Deep Vidyapeeth
This excellent book brings to the reader the joys of experiential religion. Here is a gifted writer who understands that building bridges across culture, languages and religions is the need of the hour globally. The lucidity of YannVagneux’s language brings to us the sense of shared journeys and sustained archival research. – Susan Visvanathan, Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Indian Portraits bursts forth with a gentle brave voice, unravelling a religious and spiritual practitioners’ India. The gentleness is in the description of the great Christian personages, the bravery is in YannVagneux’s expression of a language of a new spiritual theology. Unsurprising then that this focused account has behind it more than two decades of the author’s exploration of spiritual geographies in the subcontinent, lit and perfumed by the candle and the camphor. – Ravi Nandan Singh, Professor of Sociology, Shiv Nadar University
Indian Portraits carries the memory of all those who, often in silence and with great courage, have widened the spaces of love. It is not a book depicting only the past, but above all foreshadowing a future in which all of us have to enrol in order to hasten the advent of peace, understanding and greater communion between people and religions. Thanks to Father Yann, who came among us along the banks of the Ganges a decade ago, for reopening so many sources of inexhaustible inspiration. – Raphy Manjaly, Archbishop of Agra and Member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
Yann Vagneux’s work makes a vital contribution to the study of Christianity in India and of the Church’s encounter with Hinduism. Among the eight persons whose stories are told here are familiar ones such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta; but Vagneux also recounts the spiritual journey of a few figures whose stories have never before been told in print. These portraits are informed not only by his grounding in theology and Christian spirituality, but also by his experience of India, especially his years of study in Varanasi, the sacred centre of Hinduism. The friendships he has nurtured in South Asia have made him one of the most prominent and effective voices in the Church’s dialogue with Hinduism. – Gregory Sharkey SJ, director of the Boston College Nepal Program and professor of Nepalese Religions at Kathmandu University.
No one else other than Yann Vagneux could write this delicate and scholarly book, infused by his own path and experience. My own first name, François-Xavier, from the Jesuit missionary, is not the only reason why this book did not leave me indifferent. Nor the fact that the interreligious dialogue is obviously a crucial part of mutual understanding between people. Indeed, as a diplomat, I feel that, like the lives depicted in this book, we have to accept being uprooted but also remaining deeply rooted; to express a sincere sense of respect to foreign cultures while keeping our own identity and the sense of our mission; to give high value to dialogue but keep a time for silence and in-depth reflection. As these women and men of faith, we also embark upon a life long journey having the unique privilege of experiencing the hospitality and the interior richness of so many people. – François-Xavier Léger, French Ambassador in Nepal
Indian Portraits illustrates how authentic dialogue and inner conversion, sometimes excruciating, characterize the experience of Christians who open their hearts and minds to the spiritual wealth of Hinduism. In reading YannVagneux’s portraits I was struck by the quality and the depth of his meditations on the lives of eight pioneers in this encounter, whose lives have been particularly impacted by this encounter. It was for me an inner voyage as rewarding as it was demanding. As a ‘bonus’ I discovered a very inspiring and powerful ninth ‘Indian portrait’ – that of the author himself. An essential book! –Dennis Gira, Buddhologue and Specialist of Interreligious Dialogue (Catholic Universities of Paris and Lyon)
Yann Vagneux
Distinguished scholar, Yann Vagneux was born in 1976. His family comes from the region of the French Alps near to the monastery of the Grande Chartreuse. He is a Catholic priest and a member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society who has studied in Paris, Rome and New York. His Doctorate Dissertation in Theology was published in his book Co-esse (DDB, 2015) which set out the Trinitarian Theology of Jules Monchanin, a pioneer of the dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism.
Vagneux first discovered India in 1997 whilst living in a slum area of Madras (Chennai). Fifteen years later, he settled in the multi-religious holy city of Varanasi (Banaras) where he has followed the path of a contemplative Christian presence to Hinduism as had originally been traced by Jules Monchanin and Swami Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux).
Deep friendships unite him to the traditional world of the Brahmin Pandits, with whom he continues his Sanskrit studies and engages in a fruitful inter-religious dialogue. His book A Priest in Banaras (ATC, 2020) recounts his early years on the banks of the Ganges.
He lectures in India and France, sharing his life between Varanasi and Kathmandu, at the heart of the main religions of Asia.
Indian Portraits is a token of gratitude towards those who have sculpted his spiritual bond with Hinduism.
Now Available at
AMAZON USA, FRANCE, UK, GERMANY, CANADA, INDIA, POLAND, ITALY AND MEXICO
Acknowledging LOSS : Poems by Amarendra Khatua, Art by Arpana Caur
ISBN 978-81-951915-2-9 Rs. 695 Indian
Amarendra’s Poems mix memories with haunting words and etch superb pictures of love and despair, waiting and melancholia’.
– Graciela Aroaoz, Poet and president, Argentina Writers Association
Khatua’s Acknowledging Loss epitomises the dynamic lifetime of a poet/bureaucrat who has now delved deeper into the forest of silence to create poems of inconceivable heights, a castle of cravings inside the forest of his lonely bones where “heart asks simple questions/And body will seek sinful offerings.” Here the poet’s fingers grow feathers and love oozes out of his each pore to conjure up these brilliant ruminations on life, loss and regeneration. A splendid feat of imagination.”
– Yuyutsu Sharma, Himalayan Poet & Author of Annapurna Poems & A Blizzard in my Bones: New York Poems
Agony of losing in love, seeking definition of eternal waiting and defining depths of human relationship in well- crafted imagery – Amarendra’s Poem resembles the familiar tradition imposed by Neruda’s tradition’.
– Juany Rojas, Poet, Chile
Vivid Portrayal of love and longing, exile and waiting.
– Jorge Paolantonio,Poet & Novelist, Argentina
In Amarendra’s magical précis of words, corralling disparate emotions into the concentrated elixir of poetry, he offers us a rich tapestry of the colors of life’s desires, some muted, others vibrant. He takes us along on his rollercoaster of restlessly twisting and stretching through the unfathomable waves of love and loss – remembered, misremembered, relived, reconstructed. A timely comfort as we collectively acknowledge loss.
– Sharon Lowen,major international performing artist, columnist, writer and art historian
Poetry of lost relations and savage longing.
– Aleyda Rojas, Poet, Ecuador
‘Silence is a forest’ like Amarendra’s poems. Brilliant. Pierces the core. He is an innovative modernist. Profane, yet in the same breath, sacred, brimming with disillusion, yet layered with hope. The man who suffers, and the mind that creates -dissecting and scrutinizing, yet consumed by love and its messy darkness. Amarendra’s poems begin with him, and do not end with the reader, but continue beyond, in their relentless, endless sojourn into the forests of infinity, leaving in their wake a lingering wistfulness – restless and thirsty.
– Sohini Roychowdhury, Major Bharatnatyam dancer, motivational speaker, women and social issues activist, Founder & Director, Sohinimoksha World Dance & Communications & Sohinimoksha Artes de La India, Madrid
There are very few writers (are there?) who can express so accurately my own feelings better than myself. The masks we wear are torn apart by his images, for they are true, intense, inescapable and therefore liberating. His words throw a light over our darkest shadows and they remind us of a certainty: we cannot live without poetry. An exquisite writer, an impeccable professional, a very dear friend. He is the eternal poet.
– Mira Tevsic, eminent musician, journalist, poet and translator, Croatia and Argentina
In Acknowledging Loss the renowned Indian poet, Amarendra Khatua presents us with a bouquet of poems that he wrote during his stay in Argentina as his country’s Ambassador (India).The first thing that strikes you in these poems that flourish in the world, not only as a physical existence, but also as a mirror that reflects the concerns and losses of the self. Nature, memory, love alignment, absence and darkness represent a horizon through which the poet passes towards where he isolates himself in this poetic prophecy.
In this, the poet is not far from the Indian cultural and spiritual heritage, which is present in the poem, even if he wrote them in Argentina. Between Indian and Argentina, the poet forms a wonderful poetic imagination provided with images, revelations, metaphors and expressions from various cultural and poetic references, but they are reconciled in the poems in a harmonic and wonderful way.
– Mohamed Ahmed Bennis,Moroccan poet, translator and critic
Poems in this collection, invigoratingly inspiring, presents human nature in disorder with deft precision and beauty and raises a banner of optimism to confront desolation of loss. Love, dreams, desire and waiting – are the paths to our journey into truth and meaning of life. Like a guide with life’s experience, the poet presents in his poems the emptiness and the feeling of loss of any contemporary man and his journey into self discovery, through love and lifelessness
– Stella Maris Ponce, poet, jazz and tango singer, author of
The Rituals Of The Night and The Voice
Reflection of cosmic and regional experiences is conspicuous in Khatua’s poetry. Every word in his poems beads on a contemplative thread. With both asynchronous and contemporary themes, the poet seems estimating and acknowledging the loss that he himself and the world incurred. Poetic devices run through every line as spontaneous as a fountain. The uses of apt imagery and diction transport the readers to some metaphysical world as if they were hobnobbing with speaking pictures. Reading of his poems gives a feeling of waking and open-eyed meditation.
– Vivekanand Jha, Air Force Veteran, Indian English Poet, Translator and Editor
Poems in this book meanders through light and darkness. There is a sense of loss as one goes through the book yet there is also an overwhelmingly bright hue which brings back the love for life. Outstanding imagery in every poem this book will inspire readers to practice calm and solitude in the midst of mayhem.
– Prabal Kumar Basu, Indian poet
Mincing no words on depths of words, silence, loss, loneliness, acceptance of unfulfilled dreams, imperfect life, social inequalities, yet rays of hopes are visible in the poems for the antagonist to cling on to live, to come back home to face the dark, shadows, or brokenness with equanimity and willingness to search till eternity. Choice of words is impeccable and their impact is great.
–Mohan Chutani, Indian Poet
Amarendra Khatua is a distinguished Indian poet and Senior Diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service. He has served both as the Indian Ambassador to Argentina, and as the Indian Ambassador to Ivory Coast. A widely traveled author and culture critic, Khatua has forty published collections of poetry in English, Odia, Hindi, and other Indian dialects and international languages.
Editor: Yuyutsu Sharma Guest Editor : Tony Barnstone Summer/Fall 2021 Vol. XVII No. 2-3, 2021 ISSN 2615-998
EIGHTY EIGHT POETS FROM LOS ANGELES
Alexis Rhone Fancher Alice Pero Alicia Vogl Saenz Ambika Talwar Amin Esmaielpour Amy Uyematsu André Naffis-Sahely Ariel Horton Arthur Vogelsang Bilal Shaw Bill Mohr Blas Falconer Brenda Yates Brendan Constantine Caley O’Dwyer Carine Topal Carol Muske-Dukes Carol V. Davis Cathy Colman Cati Porter Cece Peri Cecilia Woloch Charles Harper Webb Charlotte Davidson Charlotte Innes Deena Metzger Dennis McGonagle Dorothy Barresi Douglas Manuel Elizabeth Iannaci Elline Lipkin Elena Karina Byrne Frank X. Gaspar Gail Wronsky Genevieve Kaplan Grant Hier Gregory Brooker Hélène Cardona Ian Randall Wilson James Ragan Jeanette Clough Jerry Garcia Jim Natal John Menaghan John Brantingham John Fitzgerald Judith Pacht Judy Kronenfeld Karen Kevorkian Kate Gale Kevin Durkin Kim Dower Laurel Ann Bogen Lavina Blossom Leilani Hall Leslie Monsour Lois P. Jones Lory Bedikian Luis J. Rodriguez Lynne Thompson Mariano Zaro Marjorie Becker Mark Irwin Marsha de la O Martha Ronk Mary Fitzpatrick Maurya Simon Melissa Kerry Micah Chatterton Michael C. Ford Michelle Bitting Mike Sonksen Patty Seyburn Ralph Angel Ramón García Rick Bursky Ron Koertge Sarah Maclay Scott Noon Creley Shannon Phillips Sherman Pearl Sholeh Wolpé Stephanie Brown Susan McCabe Suzanne Lummis Terry Wolverton Timothy Steele Tony Barnstone Vandana Khanna William Archila Yvonne M. Estrada Zaria Branch
ESSAYS BY
Dana Gioia : Los Angeles as a Cultural Home, Tom Lutz Coming to LA: Images of the Migrant City with an assist by Juan Felipe Herrera, Elena Karina Byrne :HOME, HOME, HOME & Elizabeth Iannaci :Angelenos Keep Watching the Detective
ART BY
Alexandra Eldridge, Amin Mansouri, Caley O’Dwyer, David Sloan
Preparing the Apology : Poems by Mike Graves ISBN : 978-81-951915-0-5 2021 pp 88 Demy. CoverArt by Vivian Tsao
Mike Graves evokes empathy and in so doing, rises to a transpersonal plane. His is a great gift, speaking of people in poems that become poetry about all our own lives. Here’s a book to take personally–a book to enjoy and share.
– Dr. David B. Axelrod, Poet Laureate, author of All Vows
Mike Graves’s longstanding and outstanding contributions as an arts administrator, notably the series of readings he has masterminded, have been invaluable. In his new book, Preparing the Apology, he extends his previous contributions as a poet in his own right through moving dialogues between mythological and spiritual worlds on the one hand and the gritty details of everyday life on the other. All these worlds are evoked through subtle sound effects and images like one of my favorites in the book, “ You might pound on the doors of his words / While the meaning lay like a drunkard in stupor / Behind them forever.”
– Heather Dubrow, John D. Boyd, SJ Chair in Poetic Imagination, Fordham University & Author, Lost and Found Departments, Poetry Collection
Michael Graves writes startling poems employing arresting imagery that is precise yet expansive. He’s the master of presenting his desires, doubts, dreams, and dreads in exact, deliberate language that is always working towards a deeper clarity, a “stepping inward,” as he remarks in one of his poems. In Preparing the Apology, Graves crystalizes the heightened moments in life: his fears, longings, dead ends, conflicts, betrayals, and missed opportunities, offering “generous praise” for all outsiders, especially the dispossessed, misfits, and washouts, who are always winking from the shadows beyond midnight of city streets, park benches, and empty churches that comprise the backgrounds of these poems. Out of his never-ending argument with death and God emerges Graves’ most poignant revelations concerning the Sisyphean nature of our struggle as human beings in poems that neither provide facile answers nor useless prayers. These poems are self-effacing, serious, urgent. They risk everything; their honesty is exacting and terrifying. They express the great arc of human life from exultation in ecstasy to desolation in grief. But, above all, they find redemption through loving acts!
– Bill Wolak, poet, collagist, photographer, author, Love Poems the Hands: Selected Love Poems
Michael Graves’ poems in Preparing the Apology combine an unflinching look into the darkest corners of life, and a kind of caustic wit in response to what the poet finds there. The title poem illustrates Graves’ dark humor: the limp “apology”, thrice repeated, contrasts hilariously with the lover’s warmth and energy, with the evocation of lust and lust spent, a sly kind of self-awareness. The dark visions of “Sisyphus Hill” – the terror at the “Hawk-Father” and the bleak despair of the myth – are immediately countered by the perfect aptness of the poet-Sisyphus “Lugging a tombstone / To the top.” There is a kind of resignation here, but also mysteries both sacred and profane – Judas forgiving Christ, someone on the way to work suddenly “Expecting to fly”, the poet seeking “A sense of grateful wonder” – as well as precise and economical portrayals of people (“Dusk”), place (“Departure”), and sensations like a cat’s purr (“A Graceful Celebrant”). And there is much more here – this collection repays repeated reading.
– Chris Brandt, Americsn poet and translator
Reading Michael Graves’ poetry brought me back to my days in college, studying poets and poetry, wishing I could master the art that flowed from the WORDs. Mr. Graves has accomplished this feat with his work. His use of precise language creates images bringing the reader into his observations, memories, and introspections portrayed in snapshots of life. He wields his art well, saying the most with the least. Readers will find his poems deep, thought provoking, and at a measured pace. Poets, students of poetry, and lovers of poetry will find Michael Graves’ Preparing the Apology a remarkable read.
– Peter V. Dugan, Nassau County Poet Laureate 2017-19
Michael Graves is a poet old and young, old and new. He has a past, a memory, a sharp eye and a good ear, a thing about snakes and a foxy way with rhyme, an American’s voice, an Irish-American’s family issues, and an Irish-American’s lapsed Catholic’s history of uneasy commerce with guilt and the Four Last Things
– John Gordon, Professor Emeritus University of Connecticut
Written over a quarter of a century, these poems reflect a consistent poetic voice and the best of Michael Graves. He balances metaphor and theme to provide a powerful and convincing perspective on the perduring pyschological struggles of being.
– A. Nicholas Fargnoli, President, The James Joyce Society, Professor of Religion and English, Molloy College
Michael Graves’ poetry seems to me to be genuine. I say that cautiously, for though lots of talented people write verse, perhaps even poetry there are only few who qualify as genuine literary artists with a strong sense of commitment to their role as poets. I think that Michael Graves is one of them.
– Maurice Beebe, Founding Editor, The Journal of Modern Literature
Michael Graves is the author of four chapbooks, two of which are digital, and three full-length collections. The chapbooks are Outside St. Jude’s (R. E. M.,1990), Blatnoy (madhattersreview3.com, 2005), Illegal Border Crosser (Cervena Barva, 2008), and Fifteen Villanelles (Robert Perron.com 2020). The full-length books are Adam and Cain and In Fragility (Black Buzzard, 2006, 2011) and A Prayer for the Less Violent Offenders: Selected Short Poems of Mike Graves (Nirala, 2017). He has published fifteen poems in The James Joyce Quarterly and has read from his “Joycean Poems” to a gathering of the James Joyce Society at the Gotham Book Mark, April 12, 2002. His poem “Apollo to Daphne” appears in Gods and Mortals: Modern Poems on Classical Myths (Oxford, 2001) The Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation awarded him a grant in 2006. He organized the conference, Baptism by Fire: The Work of James Wright at Poets House, NY (March 27, 2004). And he has been coordinating and hosting the Phoenix Reading Series for about twenty years.
Taiwan born, American painter Vivian Tsao has exhibited her oils and pastels at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Butler Institute of American Art, Tenri Cultural Institute, Queens Museum, The National Arts Club and Ceres Gallery in the U.S. She has also exhibited at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and The National Museum of History in Taiwan. Based in New York, Tsao received an M.F.A. degree in painting from Carnegie Mellon University. A recipient of the Artist-in-Residence grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, her art and writings in both Chinese and English have appeared in books such as Pratik Magazine in Nepal in 2019, 100 New York Painters by Cynthia Dantzic and Paintings by Vivian Tsao published by the National Museum of History.
SOS: Surviving Suicide: A Collection of Poems that may Save a Life Edited by Dean Stalham Foreword by Carlotta Allum ISBN: 978-81-951915-1-2 Pages 159 Demy
Surviving Suicide is an astonishing collection of poems that delves into often tabooed subject of suicide with its connected mental health issues. It showcases over sixty poets from four continents who pay homage to those who have lost lives and to those who have survived. British poet, art collector and philanthropist Dean Stalham, in collaboration with Stretch Charity, brings together a very special anthology of survival methods expressed through the medium of poetry. A must read for all those interested in caring, sharing and helping others in their most dire hour of need. This collection offers a rare opportunity to see things connected to suicide from all sides and angles. Many people are and have been touched by suicide in many different ways. This anthology is a testimony to the turbulent times we live in.
“The work that Dean Stalham does is invaluable – he brings to animating the artistic impulses of society’s dispossessed and downtrodden, offering a rare sympathy, he’s been to a place of condescension. He believes passionately in the role art in saving lives, always making good on his promises. His projects in the visual arts, performance and education give people who have lost their way back their dignity, enabling them to move forward.”
–Will Self, celebrated English novelist, journalist, political commentator and television personality, author of Dorian, an Imitation & Great Apes
Whether they are about, for or by the marginalised, Dean Stalham’s projects and collaborations never fail to pulse with originality and, most of all, passion. This collection of heartfelt verse brings together the unheard and well-known with the common aim of extending a hand, often right through your chest.
–Iain Aitch,distinguished British journalist, author of A Fête Worse Than Death & We’re British, Innit
This first of its kind collection celebrating life in the times of Pandemic deserves ample applause and attention. Surviving Suicide shall be treasured as a modern-day survival kit by its readers all over the world.
–Yuyutsu Sharma, renowned Himalayan poet, author of Annapurna Poems and A Blizzard in my Bones: New York Poems,
“The empathic approach Dean uses in these creative initiatives pulls together highly creative people in such a way that it’s compassionate and inspirational. This anthology celebrates his creative energy, a genuinely brilliant work!
–Keith Brymer Jones (Dr of Arts) – Head of design for Make International, and master potter. Television presenter, and Judge on Channel4 ‘The Great Pottery Throw Down
“Dean had a vision for a collection of work that was not about the poets or the egos of particular artists, but about honest raw responses to a mental health crisis. A book that could perhaps make somebody think, somebody stop or save a life.”
–Carlotta Allum, Director, Stretch in the Foreword
The SOS Anthology Poets
Ravi Shankar dPart Banu Ercon Danielle Butters Christopher Southgate Roy Barker Benjamin Zephaniah Tim Tomlinson Karen Little Sadie Maskery Anon Wendy Young Mike Graves Sophie Cameron Alby Stockley Karen Corinne Herceg Eve Mcdougall Megan Garrett-Jones Mat Lloyd Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas Carrie Magness Radna Martin Head Jason Wisteria Jeremy Reed Anne Casey Agnes Marton Suzanne French Pat Leacock Aka PdLpoet Madeleine F. White Henry Madd Patrick Lyons Rory Paddle Aka Rawbynature David No One Sam Rapp Agnes Meadows Gil De Ray Simon Miles David Erdos Dave Mankind Gill Fewins Kirsty Alison Judith Mok David Axelrod Bill Wolak James Ragan Catherine Alice Woods Fern Angel Beattie Amar Aakash Tim Kahl Gerard Beirne Timothy Gager Sandra Yannone Yogesh Patel Anna Halberstadt Megha Sood Patricia Carragon Dariusz Tomasz Lebioda Amanda Govan John Prastitis Luke Sullivan Yuyutsu Sharma Carlotta Allum Dean Stalham
Dean Stalham is a British artist, poet and writer currently living in Margate in the UK. Since leaving prison Dean has written and produced a number of plays to critical acclaim. Dean has always been a campaigner for the arts and its ability to give people a voice. He founded the charity Art Saves Lives and recently worked with Stretch as a curator and project coordinator creating a platform for Outsider Art. Dean is currently writing a book and is regularly sponsored by the Arts Council in England. Dean is a published poet and this project came from his desire to use the format to say something about people in these difficult times.
A Short History of Nepal by renowned Nepalese historian Shreeram Prasad Upadhyaya is a comprehensive and updated account of Nepalese history ranging from Ancient to Modern times. Nepal’s history is unique and different from the rest of the world. The Gopal dynasty in Nepalese history represents agricultural age of human civilization. Originally, it’s believed Nepal valley (Kathmandu) was a lake. Manjushri from the north and God Krishna along with other gopals from south made this valley suitable place for human settlement.
Dr. Upadhyaya in a nutshell covers the history of the Gopals, the Kirats and the Lichhavis in ancient period, the Mallas in Medieval period, the Shahs and the Ranas of Modern period along with rulers of the Republic in the contemporary Nepal. In his opinion, the Vedic history has great influence on the Nepalese way of life. The tradition and culture of the people of Nepal had great impact on the formation of civil court and their practices. The Gopal period of Nepal was important in the agricultural development whereas the Kirat period played momentous role in the expansion of trade and industry. The Lichhavi period was popular for moral values and the Medieval period for art and architecture. The modern period of Nepal saw many changes. Prithivinarayan Shah made great contribution by unifying Nepal and the Rana period was significant in the preservation of national sovereignty and integrity, in spite of its despotic nature. The democratic changes after the fall of atrocious Ranas brought Nepal in touch with the outside world. The continuous struggle and strife of the people of Nepal brought forth the current Republic form of Government. The people of Nepal are keenly watching the activities of Federal, Provincial and local Government with a hope to peace and prosperity ultimately ushers into the world’s youngest republic.
Short History of Nepal is a wonderful book meticulously sketching the major events in an efficient manner, doing the amazing task of introducing the great Himalayan nation to a beginners as well as an expert alike.
Dr. Upadhyaya in a nutshell covers the history of the Gopals, the Kirats and the Lichhavis in ancient period, the Mallas in Medieval period, the Shahs and the Ranas of Modern period along with rulers of the Republic in the contemporary Nepal. In his opinion, the Vedic history has great influence on the Nepalese way of life. The tradition and culture of the people of Nepal had great impact on the formation of civil court and their practices. The Gopal period of Nepal was important in the agricultural development whereas the Kirat period played momentous role in the expansion of trade and industry. The Lichhavi period was popular for moral values and the Medieval period for art and architecture. The modern period of Nepal saw many changes. Prithivinarayan Shah made great contribution by unifying Nepal and the Rana period was significant in the preservation of national sovereignty and integrity, in spite of its despotic nature. The democratic changes after the fall of atrocious Ranas brought Nepal in touch with the outside world. The continuous struggle and strife of the people of Nepal brought forth the current Republic form of Government. The people of Nepal are keenly watching the activities of Federal, Provincial and local Government with a hope to peace and prosperity ultimately ushers into the world’s youngest republic.
Short History of Nepal is a wonderful book meticulously sketching the major events in an efficient manner, doing the amazing task of introducing the great Himalayan nation to a beginners as well as an expert alike.
Nirala Publications 